Sample Shots

Ok, finally here're some sample shots taken with the EOS 350D. These JPEGs were RAW-converted
via RSE which auto-corrects most chromatic aberrations.

Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples
(=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.

Make

Canon

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

200

Focal Length

53.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/10.0 @ 1/60s

Size

3472x2312

Make

Canon

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

400

Focal Length

85.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/9.0 @ 1/125s

Size

3472x2312

Make

Canon

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

200

Focal Length

85.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/8.0 @ 1/160s

Size

3472x2312

Make

Canon

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

200

Focal Length

44.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/11.0 @ 1/50s

Size

2312x3472

Make

Canon

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

400

Focal Length

85.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/8.0 @ 1/500s

Size

3472x2312

Make

Canon

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

100

Focal Length

50.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/9.0 @ 1/640s

Size

2312x3472

Make

Model

Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL

ISO Speed

100

Focal Length

38.0mm

Exposure Data:

f/9.0 @ 1/400s

Size

2312x3472

Verdict

The EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS is a lens that promises many things. It is certainly a very
versatile standard zoom with a long zoom range and an image stabilizer that can save the day
in many situations. However, the build quality is somewhat disappointing and optically it is
also something of a mixed bag. The lens is very sharp in the image center throughout the range
but at the wide-end the extreme corners leave something to be desired. The 17mm setting also
suffers from rather extreme distortions and rather hefty vignetting @ f/4. Finally chromatic
aberrations aren't really something to rave about either.

So at the end of the day the lens is a tad better than the cheapo EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
but it can't really compete with the new EF-S 18-55m f/3.5-5.6 IS or the EF 17-40mm f/4 USM L.
The key feature of the EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 USM IS remains its versatility. While this may sound
a little sceptical I should note that I preferred the lens compared to other higher quality
options during testing - it is simply a darn convenient lens and despite the flaws it can produce
very decent images as you can see from the samples - at least with a little tool support.